Treatment of textile materials



Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,947,039 I TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS George Holland Ellis, Spondon, near Derby, Engiland, assignor to Celanese Corporation America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.

Application July 14, 1930, Serial No. 467,967, and in Great Britain August 13,

10 Claims.

This invention relates to the liquid treatment of textile materials, especially materials made of or containing cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or cellulose ethers.

V The scouring, dyeing and other liquid treatments of textile fabrics are very commonly accomplished on a machine which consists essentially of a winch mounted over a vat containing the liquid. The material bunched together in what is commonly called rope" form, is drawn continuously or intermittently from the liquor and replaced in the same by means of the winch which may be revolved mechanically or otherwise. The rope may consist of a single piece of material or of several pieces suitably fastened together, for example it may be composed of a number of garments; in all cases, if desired ends may be fastened together so as to form an endless rope which may be passed continuously through the vat by suitably rotating the winch. Such a machine is very simple in construction and in operation, and has the further advantage of very large output since the materials under treatment are bunched together and several ropes may be treated simultaneously side by side on the winch.

If the securing, dyeing or other liquid treatment of certain materials, particularly materials made of or containing yarns,'filaments or other products of cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or ethers and especially such yarns, filaments or other products which have been prepared by dry-spinning processes, is attempted on such winch machines, it is found that the materials are very liable to acquire creases which can only be removed with difliculty or not at all by any subsequent finishing operations. I have found that such creases are largely due to the presence of broken or permanently distorted filaments in the material caused by the fabric encountering the winch or being subjected to tension by the winch before being thoroughly wetted out. Furthermore I have found that if the fabric is well wetted out while avoiding creasing the wetted out material may then be treated in "rope form on winch machines without danger of the formation of permanent creases. In order to attain this very desirable result I have found that it is necessary that the wetting out shall be sufliciently thorough and that during this preliminary operation creasing 'or like distortion of the material shall be avoided. The material should not therefore, be wetted out in rope form on a winch machine.

According to the present invention therefore, fabrics or other materials which are liable to damage by folding, creasing, or the like, are first thoroughly wetted out, while avoiding the formation of creases, prior to processes in which creasing or the like may occur. I have found that after such a preliminary wetting out proces, the material may subsequently undergo, without risk of damage, further processing with liquids under the somewhat drastic mechanical conditions such as are experienced for instance in dyeing, scouring, or other treatments on winch machines.

The invention is especially'applicable in the liquid treatment of all kinds of fabrics which are wetted out with difliculty and are liable to damage by folding, creasing or the like, particularly [0 materials made of or containing cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or cellulose ethers, and especially closely knitted or woven materials, for example heavy crepe fabrics.

The preliminary wetting out process applied in accordance with the present invention may be effected with water or other aqueous liquids in any convenient manner whilst avoiding creasing or other distortion of the fabric. For example, the fabrics maybe wound loosely on rollers or cylinders and immersed in the aqueous medium, or they may be wound on perforated cylinders and the wetting out liquids forced or sucked through the fabrics. Alternatively the fabrics may be suspended from the selvedges in open vats containing the wetting-out liquids, or they may be treated in any other suitable manner in open width as distinct from creased, folded or like form.

The wetting out process may be carried out with or without addition of soaps, sulphonated soaps, saponin, alkyl-, aralkyl-, or hydro-arylsubstituted aromatic sulphonic acids or other agents capable of assisting the wetting of substances with water.

The duration of the preliminary wetting out 9! process will vary according to the materials and the conditions under which they are treated. For example, the closeness of the knit or weave, the degree of twist of the individual yarns of which fabrics are constructed, and the temperature and composition of the wetting-out liquid have'an important bearing on the time required for satisfactorily wetting-out the materials. By way of example it may be mentioned that for some fabrics treatment for l-l hour at 0. with a solution containing three grams of soap per litre has been found sufficient, while in other cases longer treatment is necessary and more effective wetting-out agents can be employed with advantage.

In some cases the preliminary wetting-out treatment forming the subject of the present invention may be combined with other treatments. For example, in the case of a fabric made of cellulose acetate the treatment may be combined with a process for reducing or removing the lustre. Thus, for example, subdued lustre effects may be simultaneously obtained by conducting the aforesaid treatment with a soap solution at a higher temperature than 80 C.

After wetting out in the manner hereinbefore described dyeing, scouring and other liquid treatments of fabrics may be readily effected in rope or other creased form, for example on winch or like machines, without risk of forming in the goods creases or other distorted forms which are not removable by subsequent finishing operations.

The invention is illustrated but not limited by the following examples.

Example 1 A fabric woven from a cellulose acetate warp of low twist and a cellulose acetate weft of high twist, designed for creping purposes, is folded in regular folds of suitable dimensions. Loops of twine or other suitable material are then passed through one of the selvedges at convenient spacings and passed over rods or poles so that the fabric is suspended on the poles from the one selvedge mentioned. By careful manipulation and suspension the fabric is thus kept in open width free from creases. It is now treated for 4 to hours at 80 C. in an aqueous solution of 3 grams per litre soap and 3 grams per litre Turkey red oil, contained in an open vat. At the end of this treatment the material is lifted into cold soft water for thorough rinsing. It may now be dyed or otherwise treated in the rope formon any suitable machine without consolidated or permanent creases, such as would degrade the fabric, being formed.

Example 2 A fabric composed of a cellulose acetate warp and a weft of natural silk in the gum is prepared exactly as the fabric mentioned in Example 1. It is then treated for 3-4 hours in an aqueous liquor containing 10 grams per litre soap, this solution being at the boil and contained in an open vat as mentioned in Example 1. When the operation is completed, the natural silk has'been degummed and the cellulose acetate component has been subdued in lustre to yield a matt finish; the fabric may now be dyed or otherwise treated in any suitable machine in the rope form without suffering the defects of permanent marks or creases.

Example 3 Example 4 A fabric of celulose acetate warp and wool weft is wound carefully in the open width on to a perforated cylinder. This cylinder is connected to a pump and water at C. containing 2 grams per litre iso-propyl-naphthalene-sulphonic 'acid is circulated through the material and back Example 5 A fabric of cellulose acetate yarns, of the "Milanese type, as produced by known knitting machinery, is wound carefully, and not too tightly, on to an ordinary plain wooden roller. The wooden roller carrying the material is now immersed in an aqueous solution containing 2 grams per litre soap and 5 grams per litre 50% Turkey red oil, being treated in the cold for 12 hours, for example overnight, and being moved continuously or occasionally as desired. At the end of this time the roller carrying the material is removed and the material rinsed off in any convenient manner, after which it may be dyed in the rope form as mentioned in the previous examples.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics in folded form comprising unsaponified filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, comprising first subjecting the materials to a treatment with non-saponifying aqueous liquids for at least two hours while in unfolded form and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

2. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of organic derivatives of cellulose, comprising first subjecting the materials to a treatment with aqueous liquids for at least five hours whilein unfolded form and-then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

3. Process for avoiding creasing inthe liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of cellulose acetate, comprising first subjecting the materials to a treatment with aqueous liquids for at least five hours while in unfolded form and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

4. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose on winch machines, comprising first subjecting the fabrics while in open width to a. treatment with non-saponifying aqueous liquids containing a wetting agent until the same is wetted out and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment on winch machines.

5. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of organic derivatives of cellulose on winch machines, comprising first subjecting the fabrics while in open width to a treatment with aqueous liquids containing a wetting agent for at least five hours and then sub- 'jecting them to the desired liquid treatment on winch machines.

6. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of cellulose acetate on winch machines, comprising first subjecting the fabrics while in open width to a treatment with aqueous liquids containing a wetting agent for at least five hours and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment on winch machines.

7. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of textile fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of cellulose acetate on winch machines, comprising first subjecting the fabrics while in open width to a treatment with nonsaponifying aqueous liquids containing a wetting agent for at least three hours and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment on winch machines.

8. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of crepe fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, in folded form comprising first subjecting the materials while in unfolded form to a treatment with non-saponifying aqueous liquids for at least two hours and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

9. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of crepe fabrics comprising unsaponified filaments of organic derivatives of cellulose in folded form, comprising first subjecting the materials while in unfolded form to a treatment with aqueous liquids for at least five hours and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

10. Process for avoiding creasing in the liquid treatment of crepe fabrics comprising unsaponifled filaments of cellulose acetate in folded form, comprising first subjecting the materials while in unfolded form to a treatment with aqueous liquids for at least five hours and then subjecting them to the desired liquid treatment in folded form.

GEORGE HOLLAND ELLIS. 

